Edmonton defeated Detroit 4–1 last night at home in a solid performance. Connor McDavid figured on every goal with four assists and Zach Hyman netted the hat trick to defeat the third best team in the Atlantic.
Edmonton started slow, as is their habit, both in the season and in every game it seems, and were extremely lucky to make it out of the first period unscathed. Detroit spent LENGTHY stretches in the offensive zone completely controlling the puck while Edmonton struggled to win puck battles and to break out cleanly. What looked like a very classic Edmonton collapse got better as the game went on though, with Edmonton actually exiting the first period up by a goal.
The second and third period slowly tilted the ice in the Oilers’ favour. Mattias Ekholm scored on a rocket from the point and Hyman slapped home his second of the night on a beautiful through the legs assist from McDavid. Detroit scored their only goal of the night when the 12′ tall Simon Edvinsson outreached Trent Frederic on a nice pass from Nate Danielson. By the third period the Oilers were mostly controlling the game and they iced the game on a Hyman empty net hat trick goal, courtesy of McDavid once more.
While not quite a complete game, it was a good bounce back from the loss to Buffalo, one of the worst teams in the league.
Here are the major takeaways from the game:
McDavid’s dominance resurgence
McDavid is looking like his best self recently. Last night he simply took over the game, every rush was a threat and he had the puck on a string all night long. While he hasn’t been slacking in the points column this year, he hasn’t quite looked quite as dominant as he can. That has changed these past few games.
One of the biggest changes I have seen recently is that McDavid has started shooting more. In the four games since his hat trick against Seattle, he has averaged 5.5 shots per game whereas he was averaging only 2.77 before that game. On the season he is currently firing 3.1 shots/game as opposed to 4.29 in that astounding, 64-goal 2022–23 season. While not shooting quite as much as that yet, he is almost as successful, currently sporting a 16.5% shooting percentage, his second best since the 153 point year, when he scored on 18.2% of his shots.
McDavid shooting more is a huge asset. There were rumours that he was shooting less because of a lingering injury, but you never really know for sure. Getting walked like a teacup Pomeranian on a four foot leash is enough for a defenceman to worry about when McDavid is facing you one-on-one, the threat of a McDavid deke, pass, and shot is too much for anyone in the world to consistently defend against. He has a sneaky good shot and I hope we see more of it in the future.
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Skinner shows up and so does the team
Stuart Skinner played a solid game last night, but in the same way that not all the blame for his poor stats falls on him, a lot of the credit for last nights performance belongs to the team in front of him. Edmonton, especially in the second and third frame, did a good job of keeping the shots to the outside, while Detroit did a very bad job of getting traffic in front of Skinner. Skinner had a a few easy saves from distance just because he could see the shot the entire way.
Credit where credit is due though, Skinner never looked out of position and did a good job to hold Edmonton in the game while they poured themselves a cup of coffee in the first period. A game like tonight might not be the best performance from Skinner but only letting in one goal on 28 shots likely goes a long way for his confidence.
The return of the Hyman
Hyman broke through last night with a huge hat trick. Along with McDavid shooting more, having a healthy, happy, high scoring Hyman back on the team is a major key to the Oilers turning this season around. Up until now, Hyman only had two goals in 11 games and hasn’t quite looked like himself, but tonight he was exactly as you would expect him to be: a certified bulldog in front of the net, where both his even strength goals came from.
One reason Hyman may be starting to look more like himself is familiar linemates. With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off the IR, the first line of the last few years has been reunited and is finally playing significant minutes together. For three years straight the Hyman, McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins line has been in the top 12 lines in xG% over 200 minutes played, as well as the top 11 in Corsi%.
They looked great again last night, admittedly that was largely due to how good McDavid looked out there, but it takes a supporting cast to make an individual into the best they can be.
Edmonton will face Toronto in a can’t miss affair Saturday night at 6:00 pm in Toronto. The Maple Leafs started poorly but have started to turn it around, nearly matching Edmonton with 33 points.
stats from NHL.com, naturalstattrick.com, moneypuck.com
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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